"Dancing Through Cancer"

"Dancing Through Cancer"

Irondequoit woman with Stage 4 cancer found a way to boost her spirits - and inspire others.

Tiffany Staropoli was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in May. It had spread to her liver.

"It was shocking. I'm still kind of incredulous," said the 39-year-old Irondequoit resident. "I think that's part of why I'm handling this so well. I'm not in denial. I'm just, I'm not willing to accept this is catastrophic in my life."

She's been through five rounds of chemotherapy. She'll have surgery on her liver in September and undergo another seven rounds.

"Cancer does a real number on your psyche. It's kind of inevitable you're going to go down a dark path. I just thought what way can I get to pull myself out of it? So I started to start dancing."

Staropoli told her husband, Rick, "You're going to need to film me dancing like a goof and you're going to record it."

She dances in gardens. She dances in parking lots. She dances in hospital hallways. She dances in her hospital bed.